Oil-reservoir alarm for cook stoves



Oct. 1,646,337

1927 J. H. AL L E N OIL RESERVOIR ALARM FOR COOK STOVES Fil ed April 23. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet r a Iii/7 Zen- 18, 1927. J. H. ALLEN OIL RESERVOIR ALARM FQR COOK s'rovEs v Filed April 25. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 18, 1927.

UNITED {STATES Joseph H. ALLEN, on CHANDLER, ARIZONA.

OIL-RESERVOIR ALARM FOR COOK STOVES.

Application filed A ril 2a, 1927. Serial no. 186,150. I

This invention relates to signals or alarms for indicating a low level of liquid in a container or reservoir and particularly to means for this purpose: adapted to bedisposed in connection with the oil bowl or an oil stove which will indicate when the oil level has sunk in the bowl below a predetermined amount, so aslto warn the housewife that the container should be refilled.

Another object is to provide a device of this characterwhich willonly Operate when the oil level has sunken so that there is very little oil left in the bowl beneath the reservoir. I

A t'urtherobjiect is to provide a device of this character having'a bell and a clapper, the clapper being held in a raised position by float operated means so that when the float sinks below a predetermined level, the

clapper will be released and will strike-the bell.

Other objects h ave to do with the details of construction and arrangement of parts as will appear more fully hereinafter.

My invention is illustratedin the accornpanying drawings, wherein 4 I s Figure 1 is a sectional View of'thebowl of an oil stove with myattachment; applied Fig. 3 is; a fragmentary top plan view of the attachment, the wall ofthe bowl being in section;.

.Fig. 4 is a sectional View on of Figure l; a x

Fig. 5 is a sectional View of the bell and its. support; v Fig. 6 is a view of: the support for the alarm; Fig. 7 is an elevation of the'clapper; v Fig. 8 is a plan viewof the washer 24. Referring to these drawings it will beseen that the alarm mechanism is mounted upon a frame designatedgenerallyl0, which is preferably formed of wire, the wire being bent to provide an elongated U-shaped mem-- her and provide a longitudinally extending slot 11 and the two legs 12 which, at their upper ends, are divergently bent and formed with eyes 18. i Mountedlupon the legs 12 midway of the length 01 the frame, is a base plate 1 1, the ends of which embracethe legs 12, this plate being formed with a longitudinally extendnm line the slot15.

ing slot 15.. Mounted upon the plate. 14 'is the U-shaped member 16 providingoutwa'rd ly projecting ears having indentations. 17. This constitutes. the clapper support is mounted upon the plate. 14 by means of the bolt 18 and nut The clapper, as shown in. Figure], con;- sists of a head 20 having resilient legs'21 angular-1yv bent at their extremities and pointed so as to enter. into the indentu'feslor holes 17; The bell 22 is'jprovidedwith'abolt or screw 23 upon which. are mouiitedf the clamping nuts 24. These are formed soas to engage the legs which define. the slot 1'1 and thus clamp the bell to the frame. 10. The

bell is adjustable along the slot 11 and the clapper is adjustable longitudinallyfof the base plate 14. v p 1 Mou'nted on ears 25 projecting inward from theibowl or base 26 is a float lever 27 which is pivoted upon trunni'ons 28 and extends out through the bowl and hasfserrations 29 on its under edge :tace which en;- gage with a tooth 30 formed upon the ex,- tremity ofthe head 20' when the' clapperj is raised. To the other end of the lever 27 is attached a float 31 of any suitable character. The buoyancy of this float causes the outer end of the; lever 27 to be depressed,

19; the bolt passing j' e thus holding the clapper in its raised position butwhen the oil has been nearlyentirely discharged from the bowl.26, the fio at will sink and the serrations willubefl l i fted from engagement with the tooth 30 and the clapper will swing downwardand strike the bell 22. The adjustments for the. clapper and: the adjustments for the hell. are pro vided so .that the clapper and bell may. be sure to engage with each other when the clapper falls, and furthermore the indenta tions 17 permit, the pivotal: end of the clapper to be adjusted inward or outward;

Preferably the ears 25'have screw-threaded shanks which may pass throughthe side walls ofthe wall of the bowl, the Wall of the bowl being engaged by the nuts 32. I do not wish to be limited to this nor, the exact form of the frame v 1O 'as the form 'of the frame and the size of the frame will be varied depending upon the particular form of the bowl. .1

: The metal bowls used in connection with inverted tanks or containers such as the container A shown in Fig. 1 differ somewhat in size and shape withdiliere'nt makesof stoves. The particular form of bowl illustrated in my drawings is one wherein the bowl is somewhat flared at the top and smaller in diameter than the tank or reserfurther recession of the oil releases the clapper and the signal is given while" there is stillxenough oil left to keep the stove burning'for fifteen to thirty minutes according to the number of burners being used. The clapper shank can be adjusted so as to permit agreater or less lowering of the oil -before'the clapper is released; .The lower portion of the supporting frame of the clapper does not. need to fit snugly against the bottom of the bowl and if the bowlis of such shape that the clapper will not strike it when the frame is resting against the bottom the frame can be slightly bent or otherwise adjusted so as to suit the clapper regardless of the particular shape of the bottom of the bowl.

Obviously many changes might be made inthe details of construction and arrange ment of: parts illustrated without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

Iclaim:-- I 1. The combination with a bowl, of a lever mounted upon the bowl, a floatengaging the lower end of the lever, the outer end of'the lever beingformed with serrations, a bell clapper normally held in an inoperative position by said serrations but released upon the fall of the float, and a bell with which the clapper engages when it falls.

2. The combination with the bowl of an oil stove reservoir, of a low level alarm including afloat, a lever'extending upward from the float and then outward through the wall of the bowl, said lever being pivoted upon the bowl wall, the outer end of the lever being serrated, a clapper pivotally supported in conjunction with the bowl and having a tooth adapted to be engagedby said serrations to hold the clapper in a raised position, and a bell with which the clapper engages when it is released.

3. The combination with the bowl of an oil stove reservoir, of a frame disposed upon the exterior of the bowl, a bell supported by the frame, a clapper pivotally supported by the frame,a lever mounted upon the wall of the bowl and having a portion extending through the wall of the bowl and'serrated to engage said clapper and hold the clapper raised, the innerend of the lever being extended downward toward the bottom of the reservoir and being providedwith a float.

4. The combination with the bowl of an oil stove reservoir, ofa frame disposed upon the exterior of the bowl, a bell supported by the ;frame, a clapper pivotally supported by the frame, a lever'mounted upon the wallof the bowl andhaving a portion extending 7 oil stove reservoir, of a low level alarm therefor comprising acurved frame adapted to approximately fit thebottom of thebowl,

a bell adjustably supported uponthe lower end of the frame, ears adjustably supported upon the middle of the frame, a clapper pivotally and adjustably supported upon said ears and adapted to strike the bell asthe clap er swings downward, and means for holding the clapper in a raised position including a lever pivotedupon the inside of the bowl and havingbne arm extended therethrough and formed with serrations to engage theclapper, the inner arm of the lever being extended downward toward the 6. The combination with a bowl of an-oil I operativeposition when the float is raised by the liquid, but releasing the clapper when the float descends. I

7 The combination with a bowl, ofa lever mounted upon thebowl, a floatengaging the lower end of the lever, the outer end of the lever being formed with a detent, a signal actuating member normally held in an in operative position by said detent but released from the fall of the float, and a signal operated by the fall of saidmember.

' In testimony whereof I hereunto vafii-x my s gnature.

JOSEPH it ALLEN. 

